Safety

Driver Dies After Having Medical Emergency in School Bus Crash

COACHELLA, Calif. — According to the California Highway Patrol, a school bus driver here has died after having a medical emergency while driving a bus that was involved in a collision on Friday morning, KESQ reports.

The incident was reported at around 6:30 a.m. at Coachella Valley High School along Airport Boulevard.

Oralia Gutierrez Lopez, 42, suffered from an unknown medical emergency while driving the bus, with 35 students on board, and collided into a bus parked in front of her at a slow speed, according to the news source. Lopez was rendered unconscious by the medical emergency, and was transported to a local hospital where she later died, KESQ reports. The students on board and the driver of the other bus involved in the collision were not injured. Drugs or alcohol did not appear to play a factor, according to the news source.

James Hermann, a twelfth grade student who was on the bus at the time of the crash, told KESQ that he rushed over to Lopez and took her foot off the gas. Hermann added that a Coachella Valley Unified School district employee also came aboard the bus to try to assist Lopez. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Lopez’s funeral expenses.